Starfield release 2020 VS Starfield release 2019
Here's why I think a release of Starfield in 2019 makes more sense for Bethesda than a release in 2020.
2020 release:
- Bethesda will spend one more year talking about Fallout 76 and clean up the mess it is by releasing more dlcs, patchs and whatever.
- Obviously, if Starfield release in late 2020, it will be on next gen platforms.
Some facts and theories:
- It is rumored that microsoft will unveil the next xbox at this year E3. So if Bethesda doesn't plan to announce the release date of Starfield at this year E3, they will miss an opportunity to make a lot of hype around their brand new game. Imagine it: here's the new platform and this awesome game will release along with it.
- Remember that last year, Fallout 76 was also presented at the microsoft conference at E3. Why? Everyone (Bethesda and microsoft) obsiously knew that the game was going to be a mess. I mean this guys are professionnals after all and the game was so full of shit that there is no way they didn't realize that. So, my guess is that Bethesda had to present Fallout 76 as an AAA game, made by Bethesda Game Studios, supported by microsoft, blablabla, just because they wanted to sell it. Because it is obvious that this game was rushed and that they didn't spend a lot of time working on it. There are no npc's, no real pvp when it released, no real new graphics, etc.
- In fact, I think they wanted to release Starfield earlier, just after Fallout 4, and that's why we had some rumors about Bethesda announcing it at E3 2017. My guess is that they realized the opportunity to make an online Fallout really late and so they've changed their plans. That's why the E3 2017 conference was so disappointed and why Fallout 76 is so shitty.
- Finally, I think that Starfield will, undoubtely, be a great great game. Why? Because if it's true that they where planning to announce it in 2017, that means they had a lot of time to improve it since then. And it makes even more sense if we think about microsoft. Maybe there was a deal between Bethesda and microsoft to show Fallout 76 at the microsoft conference in exchange of an exclusivity on xbox for Starfield. Historically, Bethesda had some troubles by working with sony. Recently, they threatened sony to not release any games on their platforms if they dont authorize cross-play. So I think all of this would explain why microsoft has shown a shitty game like Fallout 76 and why they will show Starfield this year.
Release 2019:
- Bethesda will continue to add content for Fallout 76 and will continue to improve the experience of this game. In fact, they will finish the game step by step and make some money with it. By the way, this looks a lot like when they released TESO. The game was not so bad as Fallout 76 sure but it was not so good. And then, they improved the game a lot and now it is played by many players despite the fact it wasn't so good at the beggining.
- After 2017, Bethesda has improved Starfield a lot and planned to make a really great game with it.
- In 2019, they take the opportunity to show it alongside with the announce of the new xbox that will release in late 2020: look at this new console and look at what it can do with this great game running on it.
- They release the game in late 2019 on the current gen consoles. Make a lot of cash. Then release it on the new xbox and selling again the game to almost everyone. Make a lot of cash again (As did GTA V) Indeed, if they dont release Starfield in 2019, they will miss the opportunity to make a lot of cash easily.
And finally, no! The opinion saying it would make the Fallout 76 players abandon that game is not correct. In 2014, they released TESO and then, in 2015, they released Fallout 4 and you know what? It worked really well. Why? Because it's not exactly the same public and because most of people don't play at one game at a time. They have this strange hability to do that yes...
So, I know there's a little bit of wishfull thinking in all of that, but I think too it makes some sense regardless the marketing stuff...